Sole owner, RMO, RME, partner: which qualifier you are, and what you just signed up for
In one paragraph
The person who passed the exam is the license's qualifier, and the law gives that person a job: supervision and control of the company's construction operations. A sole owner qualifies for themselves. A corporation or LLC qualifies through a responsible managing officer or a responsible managing employee, and an RME must be a real, permanent employee working at least 32 hours a week or 80% of the hours the business runs. Here is what each path requires, how a qualifier can serve more than one company legally, and the 90-day clock that starts the day a qualifier leaves.
The rule
Under B&P 7068.1(a) the qualifying individual is responsible for exercising supervision and control of the employer's or principal's construction operations, defined as supervising construction operations, making technical and administrative decisions, checking jobs for proper workmanship, or supervision on construction sites, or monitoring and being available to those it is delegated to. A qualifier may act for an additional firm only with at least 20% common equity, a subsidiary or joint venture relationship, or the same majority of officers, and for no more than three firms in any one-year period (7068.1(a)-(b)). Violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in county jail and a fine of $3,000 to $5,000 (7068.1(e)).
Why it matters
The qualifier is the person CSLB holds responsible, personally, for the company's compliance, including the workers' compensation misdemeanor in 7125.4(b). If the qualifier leaves, the company has 90 days to notify and 90 days to replace them, or the license is suspended or the classification removed by operation of law (7068.2).